The Reverend's Favorite Reissues & Archival Albums of 2024

As a child of the '70s, although my musical tastes didn't calcify after the decade like so many of my contemporaries, the exciting and adventuresome music I heard during my teenage years left an indelible imprint on the development of my musical preferences. My purchases of archival and reissue albums tend to be of the classic rock and blues genres, which is why the following list of my favorites in this category for the year tend to lean towards albums released during the 1970s, '80s, and '90s...

A lifelong curmudgeon, I bitch and moan and avoid pricey box set reissues that load multiple discs down with demo tracks and alternate takes...there's a reason why a lot of this stuff remained unreleased for decades and they largely bore me to tears. In many cases, unless a reissue provides a sonic upgrade on the CD or vinyl that I already own, or the value-added inclusion of an unreleased live set, I'll spend my money on graphic novels instead. But show me a long-lost rock or blues LP from the '60s and I'm all in. This year provided a wealth of archival releases, and a pleasant surprise in my discovery of Paul Ngozi and the Ngozi Family, '70s-era African rockers that kicks ass. Here to follow are my favorite reissue and archival albums of 2024...

Bad Brains - I Against I
Bare Jr. - Boo-Tay
Can - Live In Keele 1977
Albert Collins, Robert Cray & Johnny Copeland - Showdown!
James Cotton, Junior Wells, Carey Bell & Billy Branch - Harp Attack!
Dead Boys - Return of the Living Dead Boys
Flamin' Groovies - Let It Rock!
Rory Gallagher - The Best of Rory Gallagher At the BBC
Grateful Dead - From the Mars Hotel
Joe Grushecky - Houserocker: A Joe Grushecky Anthology
Lightnin' Hopkins w/Sonny Terry - Last Night Blues
Skip James - Tonight!

Steve Marriott - Lost & Found 1973-1977
Steve Marriott - Poor Man's Rich Man 1978-1987
Paul Ngozi - The Ghetto
Ngozi Family - 45,000 Volts
Pearl Harbour - Don't Follow Me, I'm Lost Too
Little Feat - Feats Don't Fail Me Now
Albert King - Live Wire/Blues Power
Charlie Patton - Father of the Delta Blues
Talking Heads - Stop Making Sense
Hound Dog Taylor - Beware of the Dog!
The Damned - AD 2022: Live In Manchester
The Damned - Shadowed Tales From Mulhouse
The Faces - The BBC Session Recordings    
The Pixies - Pixies At the BBC

The Replacements - Not Ready for Prime Time
The Who - Live At Shea Stadium
The Yardbirds - Psycho Daisies
Robin Trower - Bridge of Sighs